Shadowing (transmitting data destined for one client node substantially simultaneously to a second client node) and broadcasting (transmitting the same data substantially simultaneously to more than one client node) typically has been performed using a specialized transmitting application on a server node and specialized receiver applications on each of the client nodes. Shadowing is useful in monitoring data traffic and for creating a redundant copy of information being transmitted for data integrity and system security purposes. Broadcasting is useful in providing the same information to many users, when such information is "real-time" or when the information does not have a per se beginning or ending. For example, a stock price quotation program simply transmits the current prices of various stocks on a given exchange and the list repeats with the latest prices once the list of stocks is exhausted. Thus it is irrelevant to a user that he or she does not specify to the quotation program where to begin the list.
Such programs typically are written with a broadcast program in mind and require specialized receiver programs to receive the data transmitted. If an application has not been written as a broadcast program, the data transmitted by such an application can not typically be broadcast to multiple client nodes.
The present invention attempts to overcome this problem by permitting programs not written for broadcast functionality to be used to broadcast data over a network.